A 35-year-old man accused of distributing fake pornographic images by using the faces of the President and the Minister of Police made his first appearance in the Pretoria Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Lumka Mahanjana says Scebi Thabiso Nene is being charged with crimen injuria after he allegedly sent pornographic images of President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister Bheki Cele and his wife to a person who subsequently laid a charge.
She says Nene used the bodies of unknown individuals and superimposed the faces of the Ramaphosa and Cele.
Nene was traced and arrested by the Gauteng members of the Crimes Against the State (CATS) team, together with the Pietermaritzburg-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation team of the Hawks.
Mahanjana says the matter will now be transferred to Pietermaritzburg where the accused will be back in court on the 30th of May.
The Hawks said during his arrest, Nene had many pornographic images on his phone and his device and multiple sim cards were recovered.
Nene was initially arrested for allegedly contravening the Cyber Crime Act, but when the matter appeared in court he was charged with crimen injuria.
